


Take You Out Tonight

by bazinga01



Series: Homecoming [2]
Category: The Bold Type
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 22:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12517804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bazinga01/pseuds/bazinga01
Summary: Adena is back in New York and she asks Kat out on a date.





	Take You Out Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a companion piece to "To Bring You Home" but can also be read on its own. All you really need to know is that this is set immediately after Adena's visa gets renewed and she makes it back to New York after three months of separation from Kat.

A couple days after Adena returns to New York, Kat is still in bed enjoying a lazy Saturday morning when Adena pulls her boots on, reaches for her coat. Adena thinks she’s found the right apartment in Brooklyn and, if all goes well, she’s going to sign a lease today. Meanwhile, Kat’s got brunch plans with Jane and Sutton at 11. Which she definitely needs to go to, even though she really just wants to follow Adena to Brooklyn, because she’s been totally AWOL since Adena got back and she needs to catch her friends up on everything. Plus, Adena has a bunch of things to do this afternoon to start re-establishing her life here in the city.

Kat sets her coffee mug down on the nightstand, reaches up to stretch her arms over her head, slowly waking up more.

“Text me how it goes,” Kat says. “Or call me. Whatever, you know what I mean,” she smiles and Adena smiles back at her.

Then Adena leans over the bed and dips down to kiss her, cups the back of her neck. She hums into the kiss, revels in the calm easiness of it, and blinks up at her when Adena pulls away. It’s gonna take a while before she gets used to this, used to simple happy kisses that aren’t filled with longing or loss. It still feels a little like a dream that Adena is back and here with her.

Adena tucks a curl of hair behind her ear and looks into her eyes when she asks Kat—

 “Can I take you on a date tonight?”

It’s not at all what she’s expecting Adena to say and she bites at her lip, smiling shyly before she nods.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay,” Adena smiles, kisses her one last time before she stands straight again. “Shall we say 5:30? We can do an earlier dinner since you’re doing brunch today. And then there’s a place I want to show you.”

Kat nods, heart thrumming at the thought of going out on a real date with Adena tonight, mind wandering at where they might go.

“Sounds perfect.”

 

 

The waiter hasn’t even brought them their mimosas yet when Sutton presses both her palms into the table, leans forward towards Kat.

“Tell us _everything_.”

“Maybe spare some details about all the reunion sex though,” Jane adds, and Kat grins at both of them.

“But I bet the reunion sex was amazing,” Sutton responds, then turns back to her. Kat doesn’t even get the chance to open her mouth because Sutton must see something in the face she makes. “See, I _knew_ it. God, that must’ve been so romantic.”

Jane rolls her eyes, then looks at her with genuine care and a fierce sort of protectiveness. “But seriously, how are you? How’s Adena?”

Kat ducks her head, smiling to herself when she thinks about the past couple of days. She struggles to find the right words, to name everything that she’s feeling right now.

“I’m…” She looks up at both of them across the booth and presses her hands to her knees, bounces on her heels a couple times under the table. “It doesn’t feel real yet. It’s… it’s like a dream,” Kat admits. “Like, I spent so much time missing her. But now she’s _here_ , you know?” Kat looks between them, chews at her lip and ducks her head again. “She…she makes me so happy. And good. Good about… about myself…if that makes sense?” she says, staring at her lap and trying to find the right words.

“ _Kat_ …”

She looks up again, reluctantly, sees her two best friends staring back at her with so much love and draws in a slow breath.

“It’s real,” Sutton encourages, nudges Kat’s shin with her foot under the table. “And amazing.” Then, as if reading her darker thoughts and insecurities, “You deserve this, how she makes you feel. You don’t have to hide from it.”

Kat nods, clears her throat and tries to lighten the conversation.

“She uh, she asked me out on a date tonight.”

Jane smiles, then—

“Wait, will this be your first real date?”

Sutton’s eyes widen, looking to her. “No way, that can’t be ri— holy shit, it is, isn’t it?”

“I think our time together in the airport was our first date. Even though, you know, the circumstances were shitty. And then we did things together, in Peru. Those could be considered dates, right?”

Jane and Sutton are both shaking their heads.

“Not the same thing,” Sutton says.

“Yeah, this is different. More official. You both live in the same city again. It’s…”

“It’s building towards something,” Sutton supplies, and Jane nods.

“Exactly. You’re _dating_ now. Things aren’t on hold anymore.”

Their waiter returns and deposits three mimosas on the table. Kat reaches for her glass, takes a long slow sip.

“Well fuck, now I know why I’m nervous.”

“It’s gonna be great,” Sutton reassures. “ _Agh_ , I’m so excited for you! Wait, so where is she taking you?”

Kat pauses, realizes—

“I actually have no idea, I think it’s a surprise.”

Sutton claps her hands together, giddy, and says, “oh my god, I can’t wait,” like she’s the one going on the date.

 

 

 

She gets a text from Adena, about an hour later. Adena loves the Brooklyn apartment and she signed a lease. She gets the keys on Tuesday. And, she’s picking Kat up at her place tonight.

There’s a moment of confusion, when she realizes Adena has nowhere to get ready, and doesn’t she need her stuff? But Adena reassures her, says she’s catching up with a friend later this afternoon and will freshen up at her place.

It’s official, then. Adena is planning out a full date, complete with being able to surprise her and pick her up.

Kat tries on seven different outfits in various combinations, with four different pairs of shoes in rotation, when she gets home that afternoon. Nothing looks right.

She considers texting Adena, asking her what kind of date this is, what she should wear, but decides against it. She doesn’t want Adena to know how much she’s thinking about this, is worried it might reveal how nervous she feels.

Eventually she manages to narrow it down to two options and she texts photos to Sutton.

_Pick one PLEASE before I give up_

Sutton responds almost immediately.

_Sweater dress 100%_

Then—

_That dress looks amazing on you but it’s still dressy casual_

Kat breathes a sigh of relief.

_Thank youuuuu_

She’s ready to go by 5:20, takes one final look at herself in the mirror and fidgets with the material of her dress. It’s a dark blue sweater dress that clings to her frame, paired with warm black tights and her favorite black knee-high boots. She decided to keep her make-up simple but pretty, still wanting to feel like herself, and she smiles at her outfit, confident that she looks good.

Adena buzzes at the entrance downstairs just a couple minutes after 5:30 and Kat lets her into the building, takes a shaky breath to try to steady herself when Adena knocks at her front door.

_You got this. It’s just Adena. There’s no reason to be nervous._

And she’s sort of okay, until she opens the door and sees Adena standing there in her ivory peacoat and perfect make-up, holding a bouquet of flowers for her.

“Hey.”

Adena smiles at her, a gorgeous relaxed smile.

“Hi.” Adena’s eyes drift away from hers, dipping down to look at the rest of her before blinking back up again. “You look so beautiful.”

Adena has such a disarming way of complimenting her. It’s the way she says things, so heart-felt and genuine and full of meaning. It always makes her shy, the intensity of it. Every single time.

She blushes, breaks eye contact and stares at the flowers instead of Adena when she answers, “So do you.”

Adena steps forward, holds the flowers in one hand and reaches up to cup Kat’s face with the other. She strokes her cheek with her thumb, looking into her eyes, then presses a gentle kiss to her lips.

“Relax,” she breathes, smiling when she pulls back a few inches. “It’s just me.”

Kat looks into her eyes then pulls back more, reaches up to scratch at her own neck.

“Is it that obvious that I’m nervous?” she asks, forcing a small laugh, and Adena bites her lip, nods.

“I think it’s sweet. But,” she reaches out, rubs Kat’s shoulder in a soothing motion, “you don’t need to be. I want you to enjoy yourself.” Adena lifts her other hand, presents the flowers again. “Here. These are for you,” she says, voice soft, and Kat accepts the bouquet from her.

“Thank you. These are beautiful.”

She leans in, smelling the fresh floral scent, then asks Adena to wait a second while she puts them in a vase, fills it with water.

It’s a cold clear evening when they step outside together, sun setting, and Adena holds her hand, starts walking in the direction of the nearest subway station.

“Soo,” Kat nudges her side, flirtatious, as they walk together. “You gonna tell me where we’re going?”

Adena shakes her head, gives her a smile. “You’ll see.”

 

 

They exit the subway in a familiar part of Manhattan and they walk a couple of blocks before Kat sees a restaurant sign that she recognizes and Adena brings them to a stop, ushers her toward the entrance.

“Wait, we’re going to Oishii?” Kat smiles, following her inside and unzipping her coat. “I love this place! Their sushi is the best. How did you…”

“I believe you were here with your friends a couple months ago. You mentioned that it was one of your favorites, when you were telling me about your day that night,” Adena explains. “I’ve never been, and I thought maybe you could introduce me, show me what you like here.”

 Kat stares at her, suddenly overcome with the desire to kiss her and pull her into a hug, because Adena is so attentive and perceptive it’s unbelievable. And she says all this like it’s obvious, like it’s no big deal. Like it’s this completely typical thing, that Adena remembered a restaurant she mentioned two _months_ ago over Facetime. That Adena somehow knew, even when Kat didn’t, that she needed some sense of familiarity tonight.

She doesn’t kiss her, because they’re in a crowded public area near the hostess stand. But she squeezes her hand, leans into her side when she smiles and says, “You’re my favorite.”

 

 

The sushi that she ordered is delicious, it always is here, and Adena seems to be enjoying it too, trying different things.

She’s in the middle of telling Adena a story, about her high school’s senior trip to Washington DC, and she can’t even remember how they ended up here in conversation, has no real sense of how long they’ve been talking.

She pauses, shakes her head with a smile and admits—

“I’ve never…” She stops, restarts to find the right words, and Adena listens, curious and attentive. “It’s never been like this, for me. But I like it.”

Adena links their hands together in a loose grip on the table, plays with her fingers. “What do you mean?”

Kat sets down the chopsticks in her other hand.

“Dates were always, I don’t know…a means to end. Small talk I didn’t care about. Mostly trying to figure out if I was gonna go home with them,” she admits. “I didn’t really care about them. And, they didn’t care about me.”  

There’s no judgment in Adena’s eyes, just a bit of sadness and desire to understand, and it puts Kat at ease.

“But,” she continues, “it’s different, talking with you, being here. Good different.”

She knows that she’s not being very clear with her words, is stumbling ungracefully through her attempt at being open and honest with Adena. But she thinks that Adena understands anyway, because she’s smiling this beautiful little smile, lifting Kat’s hand to kiss her knuckles before lowering their hands to the table again.

“It’s different for me too, you know,” Adena says, surprising her. “Of course, I have been on good dates, been in relationships,” she explains. “But, it is not always like this. I feel…a rare sort of connection with you. I have from the beginning.”

Kat blushes, tries not to look too flustered when she stares down at the little bit of food left on her plates to avoid the intensity of Adena’s gaze.

“Glad it’s not just me,” she jokes, and Adena squeezes her hand, disarmingly sincere when she responds—

“No, it’s not.”

Their waiter returns, and Kat is thankful for the interruption, for the chance to collect herself.

“Whenever you’re ready, ladies. Take your time,” he says, setting the check folder down on their table.

Kat glances at it, uncertain. But before she can even second guess herself at the proper etiquette, Adena shoos her hand away, reaches for her purse.

“I planned this date, I’m paying,” she says, pulling her card out of her wallet and placing it with the bill.

“Oh, is that how this works?” Kat asks in a flirtatious tone, somewhat joking but also genuinely wondering.  

Adena doesn’t give her a real answer, just hums and smiles at her and holds her hand again while the waiter collects the check.

“I enjoyed this restaurant. I’m not well-acquainted with sushi, but the food here was very good.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for bringing me here, and for dinner.”

“You’re welcome.” Then, “I’d like to take you somewhere, if you’re up for it. It’s indoors, but it is in a different part of the city.”

Kat smiles, curious what the place might be.

“Of course! I’m down.”

 

 

A different part of the city turns out to be the Lower East Side, on a block dotted with bars and cafes and other storefronts that are harder to identify.

“I first came to New York four years ago,” Adena says, walking with her down a less busy street.

“Really?” Kat questions, wondering how she never knew that.

“A cousin of mine was living in the city at the time and encouraged me to apply for a visa, to come for a few months. He thought I would love the arts scene here. He wasn’t wrong,” Adena smiles.

“So why’d you leave?”

“My visa was going to expire and I wasn’t ready to settle down at the time. Europe was calling me,” Adena admits, and Kat laughs.

“Makes sense.”

“Anyways, at the time, there was a gallery that loved my work and agreed to feature some of it, alongside other immigrant artists. They were the first gallery in America to display my art.”

Adena slows to a stop in front of an unassuming building with interesting lights framing the glass windows.

“It was here,” Adena says, and Kat’s eyes widen. “Studio 87.”

“Oh wow,” Kat breathes, “Are we—” she starts, looking toward the door, and Adena smiles.

“They stay open later on the weekends,” she says, then opens the door for both of them. Kat follows her into the small gallery space and pulls her coat off, looking around. “I like to stop by occasionally, when I am in the city, to see what new artists they’re featuring. There is no permanent installation here, it’s a constant rotation every few weeks.”

Adena puts some cash in a jar next to the man at the entrance, a donation for the both of them, then links hands with Kat, guiding them over to the first wall. There are several other people standing around near them, but Adena doesn’t pay them any mind, just looks into her eyes and nods over at the art with a smile.

Adena looks at all the art with such interest, such focus, and Kat is captivated. She finds herself watching Adena more than she’s looking at the pieces, because Adena is absolutely in her element, full of passion, and it’s sort of breathtaking to watch.

Adena stops to stare at a large painting for a long while, leaning into Kat’s body while she does, and Kat wraps her arm around her, presses a kiss to the side of her head over the soft material of her hijab.

Maybe it’s because Adena stops to stare at it for so long too, but there’s something about the painting that grabs her attention.

“This is stunning,” Adena murmurs, and Kat agrees.

The painting is saturated in a gorgeous array of colors, with the profile of a woman, hair wrapped high on her head, centered in the middle. Adena leans forward to read the small placard on the wall about who the artist is.

“Raqiya Mahmoud,” Adena tells her, reading. “She’s Sudanese, originally from Darfur.”

“Oh wow.”

Kat stares at the painting for several more seconds, not quite able to look away, before glancing down to meet Adena’s eyes.

“Thank you. For bringing me here, for sharing this with me,” she says, wrapping her arms around Adena in a loose hold. “I can tell this place is really special to you, so, it means a lot to me that you brought me here.”

Adena smiles, tips up on her toes to kiss her.

“You’re welcome. I’m happy that I get to share it with you.”

 

 

As they make their way back to her place together, after spending a while at the gallery, she can’t help but wonder—

“You know what I keep thinking about?”

They exit the station near her place, back into the cold of the night, and Adena links arms with her.

“What?”

“I could’ve met you four years ago, by chance. We were both in the city,” Kat shrugs. “It’s just weird to think about you, existing here around the same time I met Jane and Sutton, living your own life.”

“Life is sort of strange like that, isn’t it?” Adena ponders, and they turn a corner together, approaching Kat’s building. “I think we met when we were meant to, though. Despite all the complications. I wouldn’t have been able to be what you deserved, four years ago.”

“Oh, same,” she agrees, disconnecting their arms and pulling her keys out of her purse. “I’m barely good for you now, I can’t even imagine back when I was 21, 22. I was a _mess_ ,” she laughs, unlocks the front door for them.

She hardly makes it into the foyer of her building before Adena holds her arm, stopping her, and the door clicks shut behind them.

“Hold on,” Adena says, and there’s far more emotion in Adena’s eyes than she expects when Kat looks at her. “What do you mean by that, that you’re barely good for me now? Kat…”

“You know,” she shrugs, avoiding her eyes and regretting that she said anything.

“No, I don’t know,” Adena says, not dropping it, and she suddenly feels far too fragile. “Hey, talk to me,” Adena soothes, holding her face until Kat reluctantly meets her eyes.

“You’r—…I’ve never even been in a relationship,” she says, staring down at the carpet. “And you’ve lived this whole life, done all these amazing things. And I barely even know what I’m doing, so.”

Adena holds her arm, rubs her thumb against the material of her coat.

“Oh, Kat. No,” Adena says, and she sounds sad. “You are so good for me.”

Kat finally looks up at her, and there are tears gathering in Adena’s eyes.

“You make me feel… _heard_ , and cared for. And you’re so passionate, it encourages my own passion. Did you know some friends have been calling you my muse?” Adena smiles, strokes her hair. “Because of how inspired I’ve been these past few months.”

Kat feels her heart constrict in her chest, stomach fluttering with every word that Adena says.

“You’re so good for me,” Adena repeats, imploring her to hear it, and Kat finally nods. Then Adena is pulling her in, kissing her deeply and wrapping her arms around her neck.

Adena kisses her with passion, until Kat feels confident again, until she’s smiling into the kiss and eventually slowing down, rubbing her nose against Adena’s and looking into her eyes.

“This was the best date I’ve ever been on,” Kat admits, heart full and bursting with affection.

Adena smiles back at her, scratches gently at her neck before she blinks and gives her a flirtatious look.

“It’s not over yet. You still haven’t taken me home.”

Kat’s eyes darken and Adena takes a step back, quirks her eyebrow and pulls them toward the stairs.

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always very much appreciated. catch me on tumblr @ starchasertonight


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